Back To Square One
by Dacciiuu
Summary: After his defeat, the Dark Master of the sea has a second chance at both life and love. MetalSeadramon/Machinedramon.
1. Chapter 1

_For some reason, I've always really loved both MetalSeadramon and Machinedramon. And for some reason, I really love shipping them together, too...definitely one of the more unusual ships, I'll admit, but still one of my favorites! This fic isn't all about the pairing, though - in fact, the romance aspect won't come up until later chapters - so I hope that my story will have something to offer you even if you're not into this couple. Cover artwork is by the artist _**_h-r _**_on deviantart. __Now, on with the fic!_

* * *

I have to admit, I was actually kind of glad that the DigiDestined were putting up a real fight. Usually, I could delete anyone who stood in my path without breaking a sweat, but these guys weren't giving up so easily. It was about time I had some decent competition; the hunt is always more exciting when the prey puts up a fight.

Still, I couldn't figure out why they even bothered to challenge me in the first place. Maybe they had a death wish or something? They didn't seem to be the brightest of opponents, that's for sure. For example, after I'd chased them into a shallow channel, WarGreymon got the idea to strike at my mouth with those claw-things on his hands. There was one little problem with his strategy, though: he was about a mile away from me when he started charging! That moron actually thought I wouldn't see him heading straight towards my face! He must've been pretty surprised when I caught him between my jaws instead.

Dumb or not, WarGreymon was definitely no weakling. My teeth can crush solid rock into gravel, but WarGreymon had enough strength to keep me from clamping my mouth down. Impressive. Still, I knew it was only a matter of time before he got tired. His grip was weakening with each passing second, and the moment he slipped up, it would be over, once and for all.

**WHAM!**

Just as I was about to add Wargreymon's name to the list of dead punks who thought they could stand in my way, I felt something slam into my side, knocking the wind right out of me. Coughing as I tried to catch my breath, I ended up giving WarGreymon a chance to escape from between my jaws.

As I turned my head to see what had struck me, I was greeted with a very unwelcome sight. There he was, treading water before me: Whamon, the perpetual thorn in my flipper. I could feel my blood begin to boil as I stared him down. I was this close to killing WarGreymon! **This **close! I couldn't contain my rage any longer. That scumbag had fucked with me for the last time!

Digimon have some pretty interesting attacks; believe me, I know. Back when the Dark Masters were taking over, I must've seen a million of 'em in our battles against the Harmonious Ones and the armies they rallied against us. Still, I wouldn't trade my suit of armor - and the helmet with built-in energy cannon that comes with it - for all of the attacks in the world.

"River of Power!" I shouted, aiming my head towards Whamon. An energy beam shot straight out from the cannon and into the whale, and it didn't stop there; it blasted right through him and exploded out of his other side. Bulls-eye! So long, pal.

Apparently, this got WarGreymon all angry and shit. I don't know why he was so worked up, though. I mean, what the hell did he expect? Whamon attacked me! If WarGreymon had wanted his buddy to live, he should've told him to mind his own damn business.

Now WarGreymon was charging at me again. I figured I'd give my jaws a rest this time, so instead of trying to catch him, I went with a different tactic.

"River of Power!"

WarGreymon was quickly engulfed in a beam of energy. I began to grin, but stopped almost immediately; he wasn't even hurt! He just kept on rushing forward like nothing had happened! What the hell was going on? He should've been deleted in a flash! How was he blocking the attack? How was he able to keep moving through the beam, getting closer and closer, with those claws pointed straight towards me...

All of a sudden, an excruciating, white-hot sensation surged through me from head to tail. I could hear myself starting to roar in agony, but the roar quickly turned into a sickening, gurgling wheeze as I felt my lungs get shredded to ribbons. In an instant, my strength was completely gone, leaving my limp body to collapse into the shallow waters of the channel. An iron-tasting liquid began to flood into my mouth: blood. **My** blood. Ocean waves gently lapped against me as the agonizing pain throughout my body turned into numbness.

What had just happened? I'd been defeated...me, of all digimon, defeated! How could that be possible? I was MetalSeadramon, the king of the sea! I was invincible! I was a Dark Master, and some lowly punk had blocked my attack and drilled right through me!

I couldn't believe it. Me...dying...this was **not** how things were supposed to turn out. I hated Whamon for distracting me, I hated WarGreymon for dealing the fatal blow, and for once, I even hated myself. How could I have slipped up like that and let myself get beaten? It just wasn't right. It shouldn't have ended that way. I wanted a second chance - a chance to go back and prove that I was stronger than a bunch of weakling kids and their digimon - but there was nothing I could do.

As everything started to go dark, I felt - just barely - the sensation of one last wave as it washed over me. Then I felt nothing at all.

* * *

Eventually, I started to feel like I had strength again: at least, enough strength to open my eyes. I quickly realized that there wasn't anything around me worth seeing, though. I saw nothing but white light and open space, extending forever in every direction. Wherever the hell I was, it sure was a dumb, boring place.

I turned my head around and took a quick glance at my body; everything looked completely intact. No one would've guessed that I had been drilled through by a Wargreymon...fucking WarGreymon, that piece of shit!

As the fight between me and him played out in my memory, I could feel the rage swelling up inside me again. I wanted to blast something to smithereens like I usually did whenever I got really pissed off, but there wasn't anything in sight for me to destroy. Man, I hated that place! I was getting angrier and angrier by the second, and so you can imagine that I wasn't in a particularly good mood when a voice suddenly began to ring out across the empty space.

"Greetings, MetalSeadramon."

"Where are you?" I yelled back, spoiling for a fight. No one appeared. Was this guy mocking me? I'd show him!

"River of Power!"

That was usually all it took to start charging the energy cannon on my helmet, but now, nothing was happening at all.

"River of Power!" I shouted in frustration. "Work, dammit! River of Power!"

"Do you not understand the concept of deletion?" asked the voice. "You've been converted into raw data; you no longer have a physical form. What you see as your 'body' is nothing more than an intangible projection of your data: a hologram, if you will. Attacks are impossible in such a state. I daresay your usual strategy of unbridled aggression is quite useless now."

"And just who the hell are you, anyway?"

"Me? Why, I'm the one who'll be determining whether or not you're worthy of reconfiguration!"

Wait, I had to be judged before I could be reborn? That sucked! Jeez, the Digital World was really out to get me. And why me? It's not like I'd done anything wrong, right?

* * *

_Thanks to **Zero Slash One** for providing me with some canonical information about the whole "judging of deleted digimon" concept. Next chapter coming soon!_


	2. Chapter 2

An angel-winged jackal monster suddenly materialized before me in a blinding flash of light. With a smile, he outstretched his long, slender arms and began to speak.

"I welcome you, MetalSeadramon, to the Zone of Judgement. It is here that I process the data of deleted digimon and determine if they are worthy of rebirth. My name is Anubismon, and you can rest assured that I will be a most capable judge of your character: anyone's character, in fact. I've seen everything that has happened in the Digital World since the dawn of time."

"Wait...you see **everything**? You knew all about the Dark Masters?"

"Correct."

"Then why didn't you try to stop us or something?"

"I don't have the power to interfere with your world, you see... at least, not directly. What I _can_ do is this: for each subject I process, I make a decision as to whether or not their reconfigurement would pose a threat to the Digital World's safety. If I deem it necessary, I can have them imprisoned within the Dark Area instead of being reborn. Think of it as a way to prevent certain...shall we say, _unsavory elements_...from abusing the cycle of rebirth and committing crime after crime after crime."

"Hey...wait a second! Then what happened with Myotismon?" I asked, remembering when I watched the battle between him and the DigiDestined through one of Piedmon's telescopes. "That angel chick wasted him when she shot an arrow through his chest, but he was back a few hours later, even stronger than before! Try explaining **that** one!"

"Simple: Myotismon was not deleted in the Digital World. Processing data from another realm is a difficult, time-consuming procedure, and his minions resurrected him before I could complete the process."

"Oh. But I guess you got him after he was killed a second time, right?"

"To be truthful," he replied, sheepishly scratching the back of his head, "it's proving exceptionally difficult to retrieve his data. I still haven't been able to process the entirety of it...most regrettable…"

"Man, some judge you are!"

"You know, MetalSeadramon, you have quite the insolent tongue when speaking with someone who holds your destiny in his very hands."

Well, there was no easy way to get out of that one.

"Sorry," I muttered. It practically felt like I was getting killed for a second time when I said that word. Hell, I couldn't remember the last time I'd apologized for **anything**.

"Apology accepted, MetalSeadramon. I prefer that my conversations have a certain tone of civility about them, don't you agree?"

"Uh...yeah. Hey, since you're all-seeing and shit, can you tell me which one of the Dark Masters finally did in the DigiDestined? Let me guess: it was Puppetmon, right? I bet that little wooden psychopath really gave 'em hell!"

With that, the jackal monster let out a barely-stifled chuckle.

"Actually," he replied, smiling knowingly, "your comrades fell short of defeating the DigiDestined."

"Wh-what?" I stammered in disbelief, my jaw dropping. "You mean...you mean...no way, that can't be...come on, man! Are you actually saying that not one of us could stop that lousy group of kids?"

"Indeed I am! They truly proved that they were the prophesied saviors of the Digital World! Why, they even managed to eliminate the threat of Apocalymon!"

"A...poc...alymon?"

"Oh, my apologies. No, I don't suppose you would have known who Apocalymon was. But that Piedmon fellow...**he **certainly knew all about him. You could say that Apocalymon was a...no, no, such a simplistic answer is hardly sufficient to describe such a complicated situation. Shall I tell you the story from the beginning?"

"Yeah, that would be good," I replied, feeling completely lost.

"It really is an interesting tale, you know! Apocalymon, much like me, had existed since the beginning of time. But that's where the similarities between us end; he was a dark, twisted creature, fueled by the collective misery of every digimon who could not evolve. You see, MetalSeadramon, evolution does not always come about as easily as it did for you! Do you realize just how many digimon have tried and failed to evolve, resulting in their own deletion instead? Of course, you never had to worry about that. You were strong enough to evolve all the way to your final level, and at an unusually fast rate to boot!"

Anubismon was right; I was indeed a strong dude. I couldn't help but laugh a bit after he said that.

"And just what, exactly, are you giggling about?" asked Anubismon indignantly, folding his lengthy arms across his chest. "I'm **trying **to tell a story here! Anyway, picking up where I left off...Apocalymon grew more powerful - and more insane - with each digimon who could not survive the evolution process. He wanted nothing more than to lay waste to the Digital World: to make its inhabitants feel the same pain that plagued him every day of his life."

"Sounds like an interesting guy!"

"This 'interesting guy' wanted to annihilate all existence! Stop with your blasted interruptions and let me finish the story, would you?"

"Sorry."

"Very good. Now then, as much as Apocalymon wanted to destroy the world, he was powerless to do so, for he was trapped in a subdimension of the Digital World and not even he was strong enough to break free from it. All he could do was seethe with rage, ensconced away in his hidden domain...until a certain Piedmon managed to detect his presence. The two had much in common: chiefly, contempt for the Digital World and all who lived in it. With the help of somebody like Piedmon, Apocalymon's twisted dream could finally come true, and together, they devised a plan for the ravaging of the Digital World. With Apocalymon's guidance, Piedmon sought out the most powerful digimon he could find to launch an attack against the Harmonious Ones. He looked far and wide in his search for prospective allies, and three particular individuals caught his attention: a Machinedramon, a Puppetmon, and a MetalSeadramon."

Hey, that's me!

"Saving the best for last, am I right?" I asked Anubismon as I flashed him a toothy grin. The only response I got back was a glare of pure disdain. "Err...sorry about that. Keep going."

"_As I was saying...__"_ he grumbled, "even though he couldn't escape from his subdimension, Apocalymon was able to use his powers to weaken the underpinnings of the Digital World, allowing the Dark Masters to seal away the Harmonious Ones and to reshape the land into a world of death and devastation. Not only did his evil influence make it possible for you and your comrades to take over, he was the one calling the shots: Piedmon, your leader, answered to him! Although you never realized it, Apocalymon was your true commander! You were doing his bidding and helping him to realize his dream of bringing chaos to the Digital World."

I can't say I was too surprised to learn this; Piedmon was a sneaky old bastard, and I always wondered if he was hiding something from me. Even so, it kinda sucked finding out that the Dark Masters were pawns of some dude I'd never even met. But hey, pawn or not, I'd had one hell of a ride. I mean, I got to rule the oceans of the Digital World! For a pawn, I kicked ass!

"But don't feel too bad about being kept in the dark, MetalSeadramon, as you weren't alone in that regard; Puppetmon and Machinedramon were just as oblivious as you were. Anyway, I assume you're familiar with the next part of the story: the Dark Masters strike, chaos and devastation ensue, and so on and so forth...until the DigiDestined entered the scene. One by one, they defeated you and your allies until they eventually found themselves in Apocalymon's domain. Oh, the fight between them truly was a sight to behold! Apocalymon even used your deleted data to create a replica of you to attack them with, before destroying himself in an attempt to take the entire world out with him! Remarkably, though, the DigiDestined were able to contain his destructive rage."

"Wait...you said he used my data to attack them? Cool! Did I get any good shots in against those punks?"

"It wasn't really 'you' that was attacking them, you know: more like a mindless copy of your data that was completely under Apocalymon's control. And yes, this copy _did_ inflict a bit of damage against the DigiDestined...but that's completely beside the point!"

"Not as far as I'm concerned! Hey, how come it took so long for me to finally get here, anyhow? It sounds like a whole lotta shit went down after I got knocked off."

"I'm unable to process data unless Primary Village is fully operational. It was lying in ruin until recently...and as you might recall," he added, his eyes narrowing with contempt, "the Dark Masters were the ones who destroyed it in the first place."

"Oh yeah. Heh...I...kinda forgot about that..."

"Is that so? Well then, are there any other questions that you'd care to ask?"

"Just one: why do you do this?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"I mean, why do you bother doing the Harmonious Ones' dirty work? Looks to me like you've spent your whole life working just to make **their** lives easier. And besides, you're stuck here! Why would you even care about what happens in the Digital World?"

"Consider this...since time immemorial, I've watched each and every day as it unfolded. Can you imagine how many times I've looked on in horror, unable to do a thing, as inhabitants from your world carried out unspeakable acts of evil? But I have the ability to change things for the better! By judging digimon after their deletion, I can stop those who would cause further harm upon rebirth from getting another opportunity to wreak havoc on the Digital World. Believe me when I say this: the crimes that I have seen provide me with all the motivation I need to take my task seriously."

Yep, things definitely weren't looking too good for me.

"Now that you've asked your questions, MetalSeadramon, I'd like to ask a few of my own. I'll start off with a simple one. Do you wish to be reconfigured?"

"Well...yeah! Of course!"

"I see. Please answer this next question truthfully, bearing in mind the fact that I've spent eons judging digimon and can easily spot a liar from a mile away. Why, exactly, do you want to be reborn?"

I was hesitant at first, but since I figured I was probably doomed no matter what I said, I thought, 'What the hell? Might as well be honest.'

"To get revenge on the DigiDestined."

"Ah, I suspected as much. You're nothing special, MetalSeadramon...just another power-hungry sociopath: the type who kills and thinks nothing of it."

"Listen, pal, whenever I killed someone, it was for a reason! Frankly, they usually brought it on themselves!"

"And you even believe that nothing was wrong with your actions! Oh, MetalSeadramon, there's nothing unique about you! You remind me of oh-so-many of the individuals I've imprisoned throughout history...the 'arrogant tyrant' category of evil digimon, as I like to call them."

"Cut me some slack, will ya? I happen to be a powerful guy! It's only natural for me to be a little arrogant."

"You're not the first to give me that excuse...which, I'd like to add, is by far one of the lamest I've heard in my ages of service. Look at me; I control the fate of every deleted digimon in the world. I'd certainly say that qualifies me as 'powerful'. By your logic, that power should have corrupted me a long time ago. And yet, here I am, allowing you to plead your case. If I were truly arrogant, I would have sent you to the Dark Area without so much as a second thought. But I'm better than that, my friend! I never pass judgment until I've thoroughly and carefully studied the defendant. And we haven't even heard from the witness yet!"

"Witness?"

"Of course! For me to accurately judge you, it helps to hear the opinions of those who knew you during your life. And since this particular fellow has been in the form of raw data ever since you cut short both his employment and his life, it's a very simple matter for me to call him forth."

"You mean...no, not him! Not..."

Before I could finish that thought, a familiar-looking digimon materialized in front of me. Oh, it was him all right. Unfortunately. Out of everyone Anubismon could have chosen, why did it have to be him? Why did it have to be Scorpiomon?

Well, that settled it: I was stuck with a judge who was out for my blood…or rather, my raw data, since apparently, that's all I was anymore. So much for "justice is blind".

* * *

_This chapter gave me a chance to explore a few of the questions that the show never really answered in detail - like how the Dark Masters formed, and what exactly Apocalymon had to do with them - and come up with some (non-canonical) answers. It lead to a somewhat dialogue-heavy chapter, for which I apologize, but I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless! Part 3 of the story coming soon!_


	3. Chapter 3

"Why'd you do it, boss?" Scorpiomon asked me meekly. "I know I wasn't always the perfect henchman, but why'd you have to kill me?"

"I...uh..." Damn, it was hard to answer that. In the old days, I would've just River-of-Powered my way out of a sticky situation like this, but there was nothing I could do now. Me, the Dark Master of the sea, MetalSeadramon: completely trapped. It wasn't a feeling I was used to, and man, it really did suck.

"Speak up already!" he suddenly yelled, his voice shaking in anger: a tone I'd never heard from him before. "You're the reason I'm here! The least you could do is give me a decent answer!"

"Because, uh...you...um...failed me?" I finally managed to stammer out in response.

"**I** failed **you**? I worked my pincers to the bone for you! What more do you want from me? Yeah, maybe I screwed up once or twice, but for years, I stood loyally beside you, at your beck and call! And what did I get as a reward for all my devoted service to you? Death! You're wrong, boss: **you** failed **me**! You're an asshole, MetalSeadramon!"

That kind of talk usually would've gotten my blood boiling, but this time, something was different. Scorpiomon was right about not being "the perfect henchman", that's for sure...but did he really deserve to die? Hell, he was my most loyal follower, and in the blink of an eye, I killed him just for making a mistake. The more I thought about it, the worse I felt. I actually started to wish that I hadn't deleted the guy.

"Nothing else to say, huh?" he asked me bitterly. "I'm done here, Anubismon. Take me away."

"As you wish," replied the jackal monster, and with that, Scorpiomon vanished back into thin air.

I had this feeling in my gut - well, where my gut _would've been_, if I still had a physical form - that just wasn't sitting right. I'd never given it any thought before, but man, I had some pretty lame excuses for the shit I'd pulled.

"What'll happen with Scorpiomon?" I asked. All of a sudden, I wanted to know whether he'd be okay or not.

"Although he certainly made some poor decisions in his life, he wasn't really an evil digimon," explained Anubismon. "I don't think he would bring about any further harm to the Digital World, and with that being the main criterion for rebirth, I sent his data to Primary Village to be reconfigured."

"That's good..."

"Could it be true? The very same digimon who ruled the ocean with 'an iron hand, an iron tail, and an iron everything' actually feels compassion for another creature? I never thought I'd see the day!"

Neither did I. I mean, it used to be that I never had a second thought about deleting anyone who got in my way. The way I saw it was: if you were dumb enough to piss me off, then you got what was probably coming to you anyhow. How many digimon had I killed with that logic? I couldn't even remember, but I knew it was a lot. A **lot**. As I was thinking about it, that nasty feeling came back, and even stronger than before.

"What's going on with me? I feel all…um..."

"I believe that the mysterious feeling that plagues you is what's commonly referred to as 'guilt'."

So that was it; I'd gone soft. How humiliating. Damn Scorpiomon! Why'd he have to go and screw with my mind like that? Life was so much easier when I could kill somebody and not think twice about it!

"And what should I do to stop feeling guilty?" I asked.

"I'm afraid that question can be answered by you and only you, MetalSeadramon."

All I could do was let out a sigh. I hadn't felt this lousy in...well, ever. There I was, a deleted digimon with a slim-to-nil chance of ever getting reborn, and now I had all these stupid feelings to top everything off.

"I don't get it, man. How come I've never felt this way before?"

"My friend, the emotion you're experiencing is far from unusual; I suspect that you simply had no occasion to feel it until now. After all, before you met Piedmon, your existence was a quiet and very uneventful one. That all changed, of course, once you joined the Dark Masters...and though I obviously can't condone you joining such a group, I _can_ rather imagine that Piedmon's offer must have seemed almost too good to be true for you at the time."

"Yeah, that's pretty much it. Spending all your time swimming around by yourself, not having anything or anyone to break the monotony...it can really make for a lonely, boring way to live. Then out of the blue, this clown dude showed up and gave me the opportunity of a lifetime! It felt like something out of a crazy dream, y'know?"

"Far too often have I seen how power can corrupt its wielders," remarked Anubismon, gloomily shaking his head. "Many of the evildoers that plagued the Digital World were once kindhearted creatures, lead hopelessly astray by it. You, too, have long been under the oppressive yoke that is the pursuit of power...but you're finally beginning to free yourself from its grip! And with this comes a wide array of feelings, some of which might be quite new to you."

Anubismon paused for a bit, folding his hands together and pensively placing them upon his chin.

"I must say..." he added. "Having a sense of remorse, and a desire to end one's guilt...a digimon who exhibits such behavior _may _be worthy of reconfiguration, you know."

"That's all well and good, but who would want anything to do with me if I got reconfigured? And what would I do with my life? It's not like I ever had anything going for me besides being a Dark Master!"

"Is that so? I was under the impression that a certain someone would be quite offended if he heard you say that you **never** had anything else in your life."

"You mean...him?" I asked. I started feeling strange again...but in a very different way this time.

There was no denying it; he was something special, alright. By nature, MetalSeadramons are supposed to be solitary creatures and whatnot, but you never would've guessed it if you saw me and Machinedramon together.

I met him back when I first joined the Dark Masters. We'd sometimes hang out during our free time and just talk with each other...**real** talk, y'know? Not like with Piedmon, who had nothing to say to you unless it was business, or Puppetmon, who might try to whack you with his hammer if you said the wrong thing to him.

Out of all the Dark Masters, it was the robot dude who turned out to be the best conversationalist...and friend. Weird, ain't it? Maybe he was just glad to finally meet someone who didn't treat him like an emotionless piece of machinery.

I think I kinda understood where he was coming from, too. I mean, my whole life, I'd been a loner - no friends, no nothing...hell, once I evolved from Betamon to Seadramon, most digimon would head in the opposite direction the moment they saw me coming - but now I was spending time with a guy who genuinely gave a damn about me...like, on a personal level! It was the sort of thing I'd dreamed about in the back of my mind for ages, and then suddenly, I was experiencing it firsthand!

It didn't take long for me to get one hell of a crush on him, and it turned out that Machinedramon had the same feelings about me. Pretty soon, we weren't just co-workers anymore...

Life was perfect...not only was I a Dark Master, I had the best damn boyfriend I could've asked for! Life was perfect, all right…at least, for a while.

As much as I'd like to think that I'm nothing but awesome as a boyfriend, I _did_ kinda fuck up our relationship. Ruling the oceans became an addiction for me...I'd gotten a taste of ultimate power, and man, I was hooked. All I could think about was making sure that I held onto it forever; I even started spending my free time prowling the sea and hunting for rebels instead of being with Machinedramon. Once he realized that being a Dark Master had become more important to me than him, we quickly drifted apart.

It really hit me hard when I lost the only digimon I'd ever loved...but my power trip soon steered my mind away from the subject of being dumped. With every battle I fought and each new territory I took control of, I thought less and less about him. Ruling the sea turned into my full-time obsession...and Machinedramon simply turned into some guy I was working with.

But nothing would change the fact that there used to be a time when he meant the entire world to me...

"So…Machinedramon got deleted too, huh?" I asked softly.

"Correct," answered Anubismon, pausing to fold his arms and stare at me thoughtfully. "In spite of everything that's happened, you still care about him, don't you?"

Sighing deeply, I nodded my head in reply.

"What's gonna happen to him?" I asked.

"At this point, I cannot say. He was deleted after you, and so I haven't judged him yet. Depending on how that goes, I may or may not choose to reconfigure him."

No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't get Machinedramon out of my head. All I could think about was somehow seeing him again: being with him again...

"I'd like to revisit the questions that I asked you earlier, MetalSeadramon. Once again, please answer them truthfully. First of all, do you still wish to be reconfigured?"

"Yes, I do."

"And why do you wish to be reconfigured?"

"Because...I want a second chance with Machinedramon!" And I really did. True, I still wasn't exactly happy about that whole Wargreymon incident, but getting revenge on the DigiDestined? I had better things to worry about.

"That's quite a turnaround, my friend...which is precisely what I was hoping to see! Incidentally, MetalSeadramon, did you know that there exists more than one mode of rebirth?"

"...Huh?"

"You see, one doesn't necessarily **have** to be reborn as a Digi-Egg; I also have the ability to restore a digimon to their exact pre-deletion form. The Harmonious Ones granted me this power long ago, foreseeing that it might be needed in exceptionally dire times. I don't do this often, for making a habit of it would grossly disrupt the cycle of rebirth, but I think it might be beneficial to return you to the Digital World in your fully-evolved form."

I couldn't believe the words I was hearing! And there wasn't even a catch! It was incredible! It was...

"Of course," continued Anubismon, "if you expect me to grant you a fully-intact reconfiguration, you'll have to earn it."

Shit. There's **always** a catch.

"The restoration of the Digital World is no simple affair, MetalSeadramon. Even though the terrain itself has been restored, it still has no roads, no towns, and so on. They'll all have to be rebuilt by hand, and therein lies another problem: a sheer lack of manpower...or is it 'monpower'? In any case, many of the Digital World's inhabitants have only just hatched, and many more still lie dormant within the shells of their Digi-Eggs. Able-bodied workers are in short supply...but that, my friend, is where you come in."

"Lemme guess: you want me to do the grunt work, right?" I should've figured that Anubismon had a reason of his own for wanting to reconfigure me, but y'know, I can't really say I blame him. If he needed a digimon with brawn, then he chose the right guy. Hey, it ain't hard to be awed by someone as strong as me!

"Precisely! That's why I'm proposing a fully-intact reconfiguration...after all, I daresay you couldn't offer much help as a Digi-Egg! Now then, the rebuilding of File Island is currently underway, with Elecmon overseeing the process. Should you accept this offer, he will become your new boss. You will be expected to do everything he asks of you, without question."

"Wait a second...Elecmon? **Elecmon**?! You mean I'd have to take orders from that pint-sized hothead?"

"You certainly would! You'd remain in Elecmon's service as long as he needs you. Once he decides that you've provided him with enough help, you would be free to set out on your own."

"And you trust me to do all this? Why? I mean, not that I'm complaining or nothing..."

"By the time I pass judgment on a subject, I usually have a rather good idea of what they would do after their reconfigurement. In your case, I believe that pursuing a second chance with Machinedramon - as opposed to, say, ravaging the Digital World for a second time - would be the driving force in your new life. Also, don't forget that I'm always watching over the world and everyone in it: that includes **you**, MetalSeadramon. If I see you reverting back to your old habits in any way, shape, or form - be it by starting another war against the Harmonious Ones, or simply by refusing to help Elecmon - then I won't hesitate to seal your data away for all eternity the very next time we meet. While I can be rather sympathetic when it comes to granting second chances, I should warn you that I have no such patience for thirds."

"Point duly noted. But what about Machinedramon?"

"Like I said before, I haven't judged him yet. But rest assured, I will relay to him your feelings. And provided that he's more concerned with reconciliation than with world domination, I shall offer him a similar deal. In these desperate times, he, too, would be a most welcome addition to the labor pool. So, do we have an agreement?"

While working for Elecmon was truly a horrifying thought, it was still a million times better than anything I was expecting...especially if it meant I'd get to see Machinedramon again.

"It's a deal!" I replied gleefully.

"Excellent! Strength is what's needed for the rebuilding process, and strength is exactly what you possess. Well then, assuming that you're ready, I can have you back in the Digital World - fully restored - within a matter of seconds."

"Believe me, dude: I've never been more ready!" I answered him, grinning with excitement.

As a wave of light flooded my eyes, my vision quickly began to fade away.

"Farewell, MetalSeadramon, and remember..." said Anubismon, his voice echoing faintly, "one's existence is truly a valuable thing. Make the most of the new life that you have been given, my friend..."

I just couldn't believe it...I'd be getting to set out on a new path: a path of my **own**. No more Piedmon, no more Apocalymon, none of that shit...well, I'd have to deal with Elecmon first, but hey, that would be temporary! I still had a brand new life to look forward to...after I was done being Elecmon's personal slave. Dammit.

* * *

_Yes, restoring MetalSeadramon like that is__ a bit "deus ex maccina"-ish. I suppose it would have been more plausible if he and Machinedramon were reconfigured as Digi-Eggs like everyone else, but I love their awesome, fully-evolved forms too much for that! And besides, the story __**is**__ set in a strange, computer program universe where a lot of crazy things have happened, so maybe it's not so ridiculous an idea after all! Anyway, final chapter coming up soon!_


	4. Chapter 4

My strength was returning to me...slowly. **Very **slowly. I couldn't even muster up the energy to open my eyes at first. Instead, I sniffed around at the air, hoping that I might get a sense of my surroundings through scent. Instinctively, I half-expected to smell the familiar aroma of sea air, but instead, I got a strong whiff of grass and pollen.

I could feel a gentle breeze blowing over my body; it didn't feel anything like the powerful ocean winds that I was used to. And there were no crashing waves to be heard, either. Wherever I was, it was far away from home. So just where was I?

Gathering up all my strength, I wearily opened my eyes, squinting as they adjusted to the mid-day sunlight that was beating down on me. There was no mistaking my location: Primary Village. Green grass and pastel-colored Digi-Eggs, as far as the eye could see.

Remembering the WarGreymon incident, I turned my head around to make sure my body was still in one piece. And there I was, lying along the lush meadows of Primary Village, the polished metal plates of my armor gleaming brilliantly in the sun. Anubismon had kept his promise of a fully-intact reconfiguration; I was the same MetalSeadramon I knew and loved so well.

"If you can hear me, Anubismon," I said out loud, looking up towards the sky, "Thank you."

As I brought my head back down to ground level, I realized that someone had been watching me the whole time. In front of me sat a baby digimon: one that looked kinda like a cross between a ghost and a jellyfish. What do they call those things? Poyomons? Hell if I know. Anyway, this kid was staring at me like I was some sort of demonic monstrosity. Well, to be fair, I guess I can't blame a tiny glob of jelly for being scared of a giant sea dragon, but still, the look of absolute horror upon his face had to be seen to be believed.

I figured one of us ought to say something, and since the kid didn't look like he was in much of a talking mood, I volunteered to speak first.

"Hey, little dude. How you doing?"

His mouth quivering away, the jellyfish-thing gazed at me for a few more moments before proceeding to bawl his eyes out. I seized up and winced in pain; that little blob could've passed for a fire siren! Somehow, I wasn't totally deafened by the ungodly loudness of his cries; in fact, way out in the distance, I managed to pick up the sound of galloping footsteps, growing louder and louder with each passing second.

"Fear not, babies!" shouted a far-off voice. "I'll protect you!"

Oh shit. It was **him**.

A rabbit-like creature running on all fours suddenly appeared on the horizon, charging towards me at full speed. What a fine way for him to meet his new employee.

"It's you!" he snarled, baring his teeth at me. "Dark Master scum! Well, I won't stand idly by and let you attack our precious village again! Super Thunder Strike!"

And with that, he leapt up into the air, a surge of electricity forming at the tip of his tail.

"No, Elecmon, stop! I'm not here to..."

You know that old expression, 'faster than greased lightning'? Well, whoever came up with it wasn't lying. Lightning is **fast**. Before I even knew it, a super-charged lightning bolt was zooming straight towards me, and not even my razor-sharp reflexes were nimble enough to dodge it.

Elecmon was only a rookie, so you might think that he wouldn't be able to do much damage to me. Well, my body also happens to be covered from head to tail in metallic armor. There's only one word to describe the sensation of being zapped by lightning while wearing a highly-conductive suit of armor: pain. Pain, pain, pain, pain. No, it wasn't quite as agonizing as being gutted by WarGreymon, but it was still enough to leave me twitching on the ground, gasping for air.

As if the pain of electrocution wasn't bad enough, it took every ounce of self-control to keep my natural instincts from taking over. You see, when MetalSeadramons are attacked, we tend to go into a pretty intense "fight-or-flight" mode. More often than not, it's "fight," not "flight," and this time was no exception. That electric shock sent me into a zone: a blood-boiling, adrenaline-pumping, aggression-through-the-roof zone. But in the back of my mind, I knew that if I so much as looked at Elecmon the wrong way, Anubismon would probably hand me a one-way ticket to the Dark Area the next time we met. That thought was enough - just barely - to keep me from mauling him.

Landing on the ground in front of me, Elecmon quickly stood up on his hind legs and assumed a fighting stance.

"Shocking enough for you, serpent boy?" he growled.

"You...don't...understand..." I gasped, struggling both to catch my breath and to restrain myself from vaporizing Elecmon with a River of Power attack.

"I understand perfectly well! It wasn't enough for you to destroy Primary Village once, so now you've come back for a second round of death and devastation!"

"No...A-Anubismon...sent me..."

In an instant, Elecmon's enraged expression morphed into one of total surprise.

"What? Anubismon is involved with this?"

"Yeah...you know who he is, too?" I said, my shortness of breath starting to abate; I couldn't quite say the same for my overwhelming urge to tear Elecmon to shreds, though.

"Of course I know who he is!" shouted Elecmon in reply. "I'm the protector of Primary Village! Don't you think I'm privy to such information? Now spill it! What's your story?"

"Anubismon had me restored to help you out with the rebuilding of File Island."

"He trusted you with that? Really?" he asked, his eyes blinking with bewilderment. "Well...I **do** need all the help I can get. And if Anubismon trusts you, then I suppose I should, too. Let's get a move on! There's work to be done!"

Elecmon started walking away, motioning for me to follow him.

"Besides, it's the least a scumbag like you can do to make up for everything you did," he added under his breath as soon as he thought I was out of earshot.

First Elecmon attacks me without a word of apology, and then he calls me a scumbag? No one had ever insulted me like that and gotten away with it. No one! My right eye twitching, my jaw tightly clenched, and a rumbling growl escaping my throat, I was moments away from giving in to my raw emotions...only to be interrupted by the strangest feeling.

If I let myself go out of control, I knew I'd be throwing away my second chance at life...and, more importantly, with Machinedramon. Memories of all the times I spent with him started flashing through my head, and instead of imagining how satisfying it would feel to rip Elecmon in half, I found myself imagining how awesome it'd be if me and Machinedramon were together again.

So whenever Elecmon pissed me off - which happened to be pretty often - all I needed to do was start thinking about Machinedramon, and just like that, I had a way to calm down and keep myself from going psycho on my new boss.

Speaking of Machinedramon, I didn't see him anywhere in the area. I figured that since an awesomely-strong guy like me could handle the work on Spiral Island all on my own, Anubismon must've sent him to a help out in a different part of the world, like Server or something, and so I'd just have to wait until all my work was finished and I was free to go before I could see him again. At least, I _hoped_ that was the reason why I hadn't found Machinedramon yet...but I tried my best not to think about the other possibilities.

Well, now that I'd made my triumphant return to the Digital World, it was time for me to get to work. And as it turned out, I had a lot of work to do. A **lot**. Elecmon kept piling on task after task after task; whether I was using the force of my body to plow ditches in the ground or coiling myself around boulders and crushing them into gravel for paving roads with, he always found something to keep me busy.

The worst part of it was when I had to deal with trees. Sure, it was easy cutting them down - a quick River of Power is all you need to bring down a forest - but hauling the lumber was another story. Sea serpents aren't exactly known for having arms, and I'm no exception. So how was I supposed to carry a bunch of trees, long distance? Answer: in my mouth. I thought I'd found the perfect solution to that problem...until I realized how many splinters I was getting in my tongue. Fuck. Honestly, is it too much to ask for a decent pair of arms?

And that was how I spent my days for a long, long time. Yeah, it was tough work, but hey, I'm a tough dude. Nothing I couldn't handle. Besides, it almost felt kinda good, if you can believe it. I guess I liked the idea of giving back and helping out the Digital World after all the shit I'd caused. Then again, maybe I just liked having an opportunity to show off my incredible strength. Who knows?

Although with Primary Village being so far inland, Elecmon wouldn't let me go sleep in the ocean at night like I was used to doing. But I had "nothing to worry about", he said, since there was a lake right by the village. "It'll be just like the sea", he said. Yeah, just like the sea, except it was a billion or so times too small. Even if I got all coiled up, my head still stuck out about a mile above the water's surface.

It wasn't entirely bad, though...especially during the summer months. Whenever I couldn't get to sleep, I'd just sit there in the darkness of the night, feeling the warm, humid breeze blow through my hair, listening to the leaves as they gently rustled in the wind, and breathing in the rich scent of wet earth. There was a brand new world for me to discover on land: a world that I'd never really bothered to notice until now.

Of course, that didn't change the fact that I was completely out of my natural element. Hell, I hadn't spent this much time away from the ocean since...since ever, to be honest.

So whenever I got to feeling homesick, I'd turn my head up towards the night sky and gaze at the stars. You see, back in the old days, me and Machinedramon used to spend the night on my private beach when we felt like getting away from it all. It was a completely secluded beach, way out in the middle of nowhere; you could see the stars there at night almost as clear as you'd see the sun during the day.

Sometimes, we'd spend our time together talking. Sometimes, we'd do…**ahem**…private things. And sometimes, I'd just snuggle up against him in silence, taking in his beauty as the silvery moonlight glinted off his metallic frame.

Whenever I looked up at the starry sky and thought about all those memories I had with Machinedramon, I knew exactly what I was living for: a chance to see him again, to be with him again. Nothing in the Digital World would keep me down as long I remembered that. Even though I had to slave away under Elecmon, visions of the future kept me going strong.

And slave away I did. Must've taken a couple of years, but eventually, I finished up all the jobs I could do on File Island. Now that that was done, I figured I was in for a whole lot more working, but in a different part of the world this time. Well, I was wrong.

"Many digimon have hatched and evolved by this point," Elecmon explained to me. "The labor shortage isn't nearly as grave nowadays. Besides, I'd have to go with you to supervise you, and you know I can't leave File Island! Primary Village would turn to chaos if I were gone for even a day! In short, you're free to go now."

"...Really?"

"Yes, really. But don't think I've forgiven you for what you did back when you were a Dark Master! That's inexcus..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get the point. Hey, Elecmon, before I leave, I just wanna know: now that the Digital World's been reconfigured, does that mean that everything's back to the way it was before the whole Dark Masters thing?"

"You just spent two years rebuilding File Island," he replied, furrowing his brow in confusion. "Doesn't that answer your question?"

"I mean, geography-wise. Like, is the natural landscape - mountains, oceans, caves, and shit like that - still as it used to be?"

"Well...yes, I suppose so."

"Good to know. There's an old hangout I've gotta pay a visit to."

And with that, there was really nothing else I had to say to Elecmon. As I started to head off in the direction of the ocean, I heard him mutter something that sounded like "hey". I didn't expect to ever have to deal with him again - at least, that's what I hoped - and so I figured I'd hear him out, just this one last time.

"I...umm...," Elecmon grumbled, scratching the back of his head, "Ugh, I can't believe I'm doing this..."

With a roll of his eyes and an annoyed sigh, he finally brought himself to say it.

"Thank you, MetalSeadramon, for helping me out."

Hearing that hothead actually thank me for once...well, I couldn't help but smile.

"You're welcome."

Okay, so I guess I did have something to say to him, after all.

* * *

_I know I said that this would be the last chapter, but it ended up running really long, and so I decided to split it up into two chapters instead (thank you _**_Unazaki _**_for giving me the idea)__. Final chapter (for real this time) coming soon!_


	5. Chapter 5

The ocean at sunset...man, I missed that sight. As I dove through its shimmering surface and felt its cool waters embrace my body, I knew I was finally back home. But I still had a job to do: tracking down Machinedramon.

And assuming he'd been restored like me, I had a pretty good idea where I might find him: the old cave he used to live in before Spiral Mountain was created. It was a cavern right along the Server seashore...hell, it was the place where I first met him, back during the earliest days when I was a Dark Master...

You know, back then, I never worried about a single thing. No matter what the situation was, I just kept pressing forward, letting nothing get me down. I was damn near invincible: not just in body, but in mind, too.

Well, so much for that. Now that I was trying to find a certain special someone, I was going completely out of my head. A million thoughts raced through my mind at once; what would I do if Machinedramon turned me down? What if he hadn't even accepted Anubismon's offer, and he was gone forever? What would I do with my life if I was all alone, without him? The old, confident, not-a-care-in-the-world MetalSeadramon was gone, all right. Love sucks.

I don't know how long it took for me to cross the ocean, what with my mind not being exactly one-hundred percent in focus, but it sure **felt** like I was swimming for ages. Weird part is, I kept wishing I could hurry up and get there sooner, and then once I finally arrived, the first thing I wished for was more time.

But there I was, right at the entrance to Machinedramon's old cave home. It was time to face the music. I slowly peered into the cavern, staring at the darkness within. As my heart beat away at a mile a minute, I took a deep breath and readied myself.

"Anybody home? Machinedramon?" I asked as I slithered further into the cave. The only response I got back was my own echo.

So that was it...he wasn't there. How was I supposed to track him down now? He could've been anywhere in the entire world. Maybe he wasn't even interested in me anymore. Hell, for all I knew, he could've asked Anubismon to send him straight to the Dark Area so he'd never have to deal with me again.

Without him, I had nothing. What was I going to do with this new life of mine if he wasn't part of it? I hate to admit it, but I actually started tearing up a bit. No, I wasn't bawling my eyes out like that Poyomon in Primary Village, but still, the fact that I was crying at all...the old MetalSeadramon probably would have River-of-Powered me if he could somehow see me like this. But I just missed Machinedramon so much. All I wanted was to see him again, to hear his voice one more time...

"MetalSeadramon?"

No way. Was it really him? I slowly turned my head around to face the owner of the familiar-sounding voice. There he was, standing behind me at the entrance to the cave: Machinedramon. I couldn't believe how long it had been since I last laid eyes on him. He was even more handsome than I remembered...

"Are...are you crying, Metal?"

Fuck. Well, there was no hiding the truth; I gave him a silent nod. It takes a lot to surprise a logical, calculated guy like Machinedramon, but I guess this did the trick.

"I never thought I'd see the day," he murmured.

For some reason, I started to feel stronger all of a sudden. I can't really explain why...I guess it just seemed like this was my chance to really prove myself to Machinedramon: that this was my **true** moment to shine.

"Yeah, I know I'm not usually the crying type, but I thought you were gone or something. I figured I was gonna have to spend the rest of my life without you and...well, it got me all worked up."

"So Anubismon wasn't lying...you really do care about me..."

"Of course I care! Hurting you was the biggest mistake I ever made! I had everything that I could've asked for right in front of me, and I threw it away as if it were nothing...as if _you_ were nothing. I acted like a fucking idiot, I know...but this time around, I want to make things right! No more taking for granted the only guy who was ever there for me! Believe me, Machinedramon, I mean this from the bottom of my heart; you're everything in the world to me."

"Metal, I...I don't quite know what to say…"

"Well, how about you tell me this: will you let me back into your life?"

After a quick pause (that felt to me like an eternity), I heard what sounded like a quiet chuckle coming from him.

"Do you know how adorable you look when you get all romantic like this?" he replied, his metallic voice resonating with a certain warmth: a warmth that I hadn't heard from him since before we broke up. "I must say, I'm looking forward to seeing this side of you again...now that we're back together."

Man, you should've seen the grin on my face when I heard that. All I could do was wrap myself around Machinedramon: embracing him, nuzzling him, loving him. I was so happy my eyes even started tearing up again...fuck, what a weakling I'd turned into...but fuck it, who cares? I was his and he was mine, and that was all that mattered.

I guess you could say I've pretty much gone full circle now. No more being a Dark Master, no more trying to rule the ocean, and no more fighting battles all the time. These days, I've got none of that shit to tie me down, and I'm living my life completely on my own. Well, _almost _on my own; there's still Machinedramon, of course. He's all I have now, and as far as I'm concerned, he's everything I'll ever need. Who would've thought that going back to square one could feel so good?

_**~End**_

* * *

_Yeah, I'm a total sucker for "happily ever after" type endings, as you can probably tell. :) Anyway, I hope you enjoyed reading this story, however unusual it was!_


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